tom – Nerdisthttp://nerdist.com
Sat, 10 Dec 2016 03:15:11 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Interview: Scarlett Byrne on Bringing Adult Lexi To Life In FALLING SKIEShttp://nerdist.com/interview-scarlett-byrne-on-bringing-adult-lexi-to-life-in-falling-skies/
http://nerdist.com/interview-scarlett-byrne-on-bringing-adult-lexi-to-life-in-falling-skies/#commentsSun, 22 Jun 2014 18:00:13 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=160390One of the major twists to come out of last season of TNT’s alien-invasion drama, Falling Skies, was that of baby Lexi. As the season progressed, we learned the Mason child was actually an alien/human hybrid, and that she was rapidly aging, to the point where she was walking on two legs by the finale. Now in season four, Lexi has grown to that a full-blown adult, and this is what actress Scarlett Byrne had to say on playing the character.

Nerdist: Falling Skies is this very fast moving train right now. It’s in Season 4. What was it like to jump onto that at this point in the game?

Scarlett Byrne: Oh, so much fun. In the beginning I was nervous and apprehensive joining a cast like this family who’s been together for the past three, four years. The only way I can relate is joining a new school. So I was excited but, at the same time, apprehensive. But everyone was very welcoming. I feel very privileged to be a part of the Falling Skies family. I really hope people like seeing what I’ve done with the character.

N: Speaking of that, when you think of Lexi, do you view her as a fully realized adult or do you think of her more as a child in an adult’s body?

SB: The first thing I’ll say is she definitely isn’t one dimensional. For me personally, she technically is this child in this young woman’s body. She’s growing at such a rapid rate and there is so much to her that I wouldn’t say she is either/or. I would say she is definitely a mixture of both. She has the intellect of someone way beyond her years, if not definitely someone who is not humanlike. But the more childlike side of her definitely comes from the side of her that’s more, I would say, innocent and there is this sense of naivety towards her character, especially in the beginning. So it was great as an actress to really learn and grow with her as the season went on. I was learning new things about her constantly, which is great fun.

N: It also feel like Lexi is being viewed as a god. Do you think of her as that way or do you think of her more as this person who just hasn’t really come to terms with the reality of the Espheni war at this point?

SB: That’s a difficult question, only because I wouldn’t say that Lexi sees herself as this god. She doesn’t really see herself like that. Other people do because I think people, in general, are scared of the unknown. So when it comes to Lexi, people are either going to fear her or they 100% believe in her vision and her message. But in regards to Lexi, all she really wants to do is send this message of peace and unity. And she doesn’t want there to be a fight. She wants everyone to put their guns down. And that’s really all she cares about.At the same time, she wants to have a good relationship with her family and her friends and the rest of the second mass. But her sole purpose is this message.

She isn’t really bothered about who is worshiping her, how many people follow her, and if people think she is a god or not. All she cares about is the message of peace and she really wants people to believe her. That I think is what she is mainly interested in, as well as the fact that she, I think, is one step ahead of everyone else. For the first time in this season there have been many unanswered questions. You know, why are they attacking us? Why are they here? What do they want with us? And I think for the first time the characters are realizing that she could be a key to finding some of the answers to those questions.

N: She is still a Mason at the end of the day. So do you think she views herself as a member of the Mason family still?

SB: Oh, definitely. I think so. She is this hybrid, but, at the same time, there is so much of her alien and humanlike. I think at times she struggles more with the human side. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think that she definitely learns from the other characters how to be more humanlike. But especially in the beginning of the season, there is more of her alien side that she’s more in touch with, because she doesn’t act like a normal person. So a lot of her appearance and the way she acts I think is more alien-like, and even the way she speaks. But no, she definitely does. She loves them and she wants to be a much a part of the family as they want her to be a part of the family. But, like I said, it’s very interesting the dynamic of all the relationships together.

N: What has been your favorite part of the production thus far since joining the cast?

SB: I would definitely say working with such amazing cast and crew. It really was such a great experience. And the show itself is just so much fun. I feel very privileged to play Lexi, this alien hybrid with powers and all sorts of stuff going on. There is such a nature of it that, like I said, I couldn’t be more happy and pleased with how everything has turned out. I really hope the fans enjoy her as much as I’ve enjoyed playing her.

Hey, you’ve heard by now that Tom Cruise dropped by the Comic-Con panel for his next movie Edge of Tomorrow, surprising moderator Chris Hardwick. And you’ve heard that they ended up singing a duet, because they both played the same part in Rock of Ages. Well, there’s video, courtesy of our friends over at Geek Nation, and here’s that segment. You can see the full panel at geeknation.com/videos/sdcc-13-edge-of-tomorrow-panel/. Go do that, too.

]]>http://nerdist.com/comic-con-tom-cruise-and-chris-hardwick-duet/feed/10Comic-Con: A Few Saturday Videoshttp://nerdist.com/comic-con-a-few-saturday-videos/
http://nerdist.com/comic-con-a-few-saturday-videos/#commentsSun, 21 Jul 2013 00:55:15 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=83142Okay, so, what were the big trailers on Saturday at Comic-Con? How about … well, they don’t have anything yet on the big Superman-Batman team-up in the Man of Steel sequel announced by Zack Snyder at the Warner Bros./Legendary panel, because it’s, you know, way, way, way early (the release will be in 2015, Snyder will direct, David S. Goyer will write, and it’ll come out in 2015). And, yes, Tom Cruise dropped in on the same panel, surprising moderator Chris Hardwick and everyone in the room, but we don’t have the footage from Warners/Village Roadshow’s Edge of Tomorrow yet, and Legendary confirmed that Duncan Jones will direct the World of Warcraft movie — there was a teaser video, but there’s nothing online yet. But there were a few others with some new video. Like…

A preview of the Kickstarted Veronica Mars movie, with Rob Thomas, Kristen Bell, and cast members talking about the show and character and some first-look footage from the set:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:

And the intro video for the How I Met Your Mother‘s panel, with Ted Mosby’s kids finally exploding into profane disdain for their long-winded father’s story:

Cosplay Piano’s back at the Stan Lee’s World of Heroes YouTube channel, and it’s the Game of Thrones theme this time, performed by Sonya Belousova joined by a cast of… a lot of people, and directed by Tom Grey. We saw them take on The Walking Dead before, so they’re used to shows with a lot of dead people suddenly turning up.

What? TWO more bonus segments from the Nerdist Channel’s Fangoria’s Blood and Guts with Scott Ian? Both with Tom Woodruff Jr. at Studio ADI? Mais oui. One’s about developing the creatures for the Alien franchise and the other’s about The Thing prequel.

And while we’re at it, here’s the original episode:

]]>Big Pop Fun #70: Tom Solos Larry Miller!http://nerdist.com/big-pop-fun-70-tom-solos-larry-miller/
http://nerdist.com/big-pop-fun-70-tom-solos-larry-miller/#commentsFri, 29 Mar 2013 23:00:17 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=71150Tom takes a solo on his friend actor/comedian Larry Miller, and also e.e. cummings. Enjoy!
]]>http://nerdist.com/big-pop-fun-70-tom-solos-larry-miller/feed/5The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos 3/12/13http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-31213/
http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-31213/#commentsWed, 13 Mar 2013 01:00:08 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=69833Tired of talk of the finale of The Bachelor? Tired of the tweets about the talk of the finale of The Bachelor? Tired in general? Are you tired of consecutive questions like this? Well, that’s enough of that. Just watch this week’s picks for the funniest videos on the web that were meant to be funny, The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos, to forget about all that being tired.

1. Comedy Central’s digital arm, CC:Studios, has given The Walsh Brothers a web series called The Great & Secret Comedy Show. That’s all I say besides you should watch it right now if you like laughing at all.

5. TJ Miller returns as Gorburger, the blue demon who took over a talk show set, for a season 2. with guest Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who ends up doing his version of the worm.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzoNMxNMXAI&w=615&h=346]

Per usual, I’m taking submissions for the 5 MIFV every week like ones featured in previous weeks. Same rules still apply.
-E-mail embeddable video link to thecomedybureau@gmail.com with subject line “5 MIFV Submission”
-Submit by the end of the upcoming Monday (which would be 3/18)
-Videos must be posted online (i.e. have a time stamp that says so) between 3/12 and the end of Monday 3/18
-Don’t add any cover letters or explanations; please just send the link.

Here’s yet another trailer, released today, for Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman in Oblivion, and it doesn’t add a lot to what we’ve already seen, save a short introductory portion in which Cruise, as drone maintenance man Jack Harper, is reclining and shooting hoops and enjoying solitude when he’s called to action and the stuff we’ve seen — Earth in ruin, the mysterious Morgan Freeman, action — kicks in. So it’s a little Matrix-y, with a dash of Wall-E ruined-Earth thrown in. Plus, Tom Cruise in a Yankee cap, which might be enough to get me rooting for the aliens.

There’s a new international trailer out for Oblivion, the Tom Cruise sci-fi flick directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) coming in April, and it has some different shots from the last one and more action (and more Morgan Freeman, too). Like the first trailer, it sets forth the basics: Tom plays another character named Jack (this one’s Harper, not Reacher), a drone repairman working on a ruined Earth who discovers a survivor in some wreckage and gets entangled in a battle bigger than he imagined. It’s based on Kosinski’s graphic novel of the same name.

The movie opens on April 12th in IMAX and gets a wide release on April 19th. How’s this one look to you? Comments below….

]]>http://nerdist.com/the-new-trailer-for-tom-cruises-oblivion/feed/8The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week 12/11http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-1211/
http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-1211/#commentsWed, 12 Dec 2012 02:00:14 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=62379Need to get the John Travolta & Olivia Newton John Christmas duet out of your head? Need to forget that you could buy an attachment to your bike that makes it sound like a clopping horse? We’re not sure if this would be the cure for it, but this week’s 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos distracted me from getting songs caught on repeat or spending money on stuff I absolutely don’t need.

4. Bill Murray reenacts what he likes to do on late night TV every Christmas, just like the rest of us would.

5. Submitted: Free Comedy! shows why it might not be a good idea to mug an actual magician, especially if it’s Tom Shillue.

Per usual, I’m taking submissions for the 5 MIFV every week like the one featured above. Same rules still apply.
-E-mail embeddable video link to thecomedybureau@gmail.com with subject line “5 MIFV Submission”
-Submit by the end of the upcoming Monday (which would be 12/17)
-Videos must be posted online (i.e. have a time stamp that says so) between now 12/11 and the end of Monday 12/17
-Don’t add any cover letters or explanations; please just send the link.

]]>http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-1211/feed/1The 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week 10/30http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-1030/
http://nerdist.com/the-5-most-intentionally-funny-videos-this-week-1030/#commentsWed, 31 Oct 2012 03:36:26 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=58422It would seem as though the Internet is going through equal amounts of anguish with the announcement of Disney buying up the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas and the devastation from Hurricane Sandy on the Eastern Seaboard. Take a moment to breathe and hopefully another one for a laugh from this week’s 5 Most Intentionally Funny Videos This Week, then realize that some film executive somewhere is already looking for some angle to make a Hurricane Sandy movie from, then maybe a few more moments for laughing re-watching the 5 MIFV.

1. Funny or Die’s Nick Wiger makes the best parody of Gangnam Style the idea of parodies with Gungan Style.

4. Submitted: This mini documentary on the 2 year running Snob Theater music/comedy/variety show in San Francisco will hopefully encourage you to go see live shows more because of how recorded media cannot fully capture their magic.

5. Submitted: What happens if Romney wins and Big Bird is out of a job? Owen Smith has the answers. (NSFW and NSFCM-Not Safe For Childhood Memories)

Per usual, I’m taking submissions, like the four featured above, for the 5 MIFV. Same rules still apply.
-E-mail embeddable video link to thecomedybureau@gmail.com with subject line “5 MIFV Submission”
-Submit by the end of the upcoming Monday (which would be 11/5)
-Videos must be posted online (i.e. have a time stamp that says so) between now 10/30 and the end of Monday 11/5
-Don’t add any cover letters or explanations; please just send the link.

Fresh off his tour de force performance on the Nerdist Podcast and days before Cloud Atlas hits a screen near you (saw it, and, yeah, definitely worth seeing), here’s Tom Hanks the other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon doing a “slam poem” about a truly worthy subject: Full House. You will never watch a Full House rerun again without thinking of this. (You probably weren’t planning to watch a Full House rerun, come to think of it. This is better, anyway.)

Well, now, you want to see Cloud Atlas, starring Tom Hanks and directed by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, based on David Mitchell’s epic time-twisting novel, right? Sure you do. You want to see it before your friends, right? Yes. And if you’re in the L.A. area and want to see a free screening on Monday night (October 22nd), Nerdist might just make that happen for you.

There are a limited number of seats for a special screening of the movie on Monday in Burbank, and they’ll be available on a first-RSVP, first-served basis. The only way you are guaranteed a seat is if you receive a confirmation email, and those will be sent Sunday night. If you get confirmed, print out and bring that confirmation email to the theater. That’s it.

So, email your FULL NAME and the number of people in your party to rsvp@nerdist.com. Good luck!

]]>http://nerdist.com/win-tickets-to-a-special-screening-of-cloud-atlas-monday-in-burbank/feed/4Pete Holmes vs. The Indoor Kids, Againhttp://nerdist.com/pete-holmes-vs-the-indoor-kids-again/
http://nerdist.com/pete-holmes-vs-the-indoor-kids-again/#commentsTue, 21 Aug 2012 14:30:41 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=52839You’ve heard Pete Holmes on The Indoor Kids podcast, you’ve seen him on the video version, and now you get to see him on the couch again in Part 2 of his visit to The Indoor Kids on the Nerdist Channel, playing Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell with Emily and Kumail. Crispy has a new look, and it’s… okay, I have to go work on a better tagline. Is there another kiss? You’ll just have to watch and find out.

Hey, there’s another Nerdist TV special this weekend on BBC America! And this time, I’m finally gonna get it in HD! (happy dance) (I just realized HD COULD stand for “happy dance”) If you, like me, are a Verizon FiOS subscriber, BBC America’s been added to the HD lineup as of a couple of days ago. This pleases me no end. But whether you get the HD or SD version, you should be tuning in on Saturday night, 10/9c, for The Nerdist: Tribute to Time Travel. What can you expect? Well, Damon Lindelof drops in, and Tom Weston-Jones, star of the new original BBC America series Copper, is also on the show. It’s part of a whole time travel evening, starting at 9/8c with The Timey-Wimey of Doctor Who:

And here’s a special sneak peek at the Nerdist special, with Tom Weston-Jones discussing — I kid you not — merkins:

While you’re at BBC America, you should stick around for Sunday’s premiere of Copper, too, 10/9c, from no less than Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana and about the top detective in New York in 1864, when things in the city were a bit different.

You have plenty to watch this weekend. Make sure these are on your list.

Here’s the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, posted online by Nokia. You get a lot of things going boom, some glimpses of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, and a few laughs at the end when Bruce Wayne encounters a little trouble at the parking valet. And Bane, “Gotham’s reckoning.” Good thing Batman’s not afraid, he’s angry.

July 20th. Whaddya think? Where do you rank this against the other Summer blockbusters in terms of anticipation? If you’re not already queuing up, that is.

Chris Hardwick singing “Wanted Dead or Alive” in a white cowboy hat and wig? Why, yes. And an explanation: Back in 2005-06, there was a little musical here in L.A. called Rock of Ages. Yes, THAT Rock of Ages. Chris was the original Stacee Jaxx in the original production, before it went to Broadway and became a hit there and then became the starring vehicle for Tom Cruise that opens in your local multiplex this weekend. The original cast included Kyle Gass of Tenacious D, the Dan Band’s Dan Finnerty, and Broadway actress and country singer Laura Bell Bundy. Chris couldn’t go with the show to Broadway due to other commitments, but we still have this video record of Chris-as-Stacee for our video scrapbook. Ah, memories.

Todd Glass is the star of a public service announcement video by Ellen Houlihan that’s up for the GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) People’s Choice Award judged by Brett Ratner and Tom Ford on Talenthouse. It’s a departure for Todd in that it’s not comedy, but it’s powerful nonetheless.

]]>http://nerdist.com/the-todd-glass-psa-for-glsen/feed/4Big Pop Fun #27: Bill Kelly, Screenwriterhttp://nerdist.com/big-pop-fun-27-bill-kelly-screenwriter/
http://nerdist.com/big-pop-fun-27-bill-kelly-screenwriter/#commentsFri, 18 May 2012 23:00:15 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=45790Bill Kelly is a successful screenwriter (Blast From The Past, Enchanted) who began his career as a public access cable host with a robot sidekick. Things have improved for Bill. Enjoy!
]]>http://nerdist.com/big-pop-fun-27-bill-kelly-screenwriter/feed/2Watch This Trailer For A Documentary About Voice Actinghttp://nerdist.com/watch-this-trailer-for-a-documentary-about-voice-acting/
http://nerdist.com/watch-this-trailer-for-a-documentary-about-voice-acting/#commentsWed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:31 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=42921

I don’t know anything about the project other than what’s in the trailer and at the Facebook page, where they have photos from various shoots, and that John DiMaggio is one of the producers as well as, obviously, in the film itself. I don’t know when it’s scheduled to come out or if they’re even finished with it. But I know I want to see it when it’s done.

]]>http://nerdist.com/watch-this-trailer-for-a-documentary-about-voice-acting/feed/9It’s Tom Lehrer’s Birthdayhttp://nerdist.com/its-tom-lehrers-birthday/
http://nerdist.com/its-tom-lehrers-birthday/#commentsMon, 09 Apr 2012 19:00:53 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=42787Tom Lehrer turns 84 today. You’ve heard Chris talk on the podcast about how much of a fan he is of the legendary musical satirist, and how influential he was on Chris’ comedy (especially for Hard ‘n’ Phirm). Many of you are surely fans of the professor as well. It’s hard not to be a fan. As for myself, I still have the vinyl ’60s Lehrer albums on Reprise, and they’re among my prized possessions. So, let’s celebrate with some music….

Chris just posted this clip by Rob Zombie on the Nerdist Channel, and here’s how he describes it:

When we put out our mash-up ‘please subscribe’ video a couple of days ago, we only intended to use pieces of videos everyone on the channel sent us. Rob’s was so fantastic (and VERY near to my heart with the 4th Doctor) that I needed to put it up in its entirety. SO HERE IT IS.

Hugs and TARDISes,
ch

And there it is.

By the way, if you’ve subscribed to the Nerdist Channel, you got word of this clip before anyone, like as soon as Chris put it up there. If you haven’t subscribed, what are you waiting for? Click here and subscribe so you’ll know about every new video and you won’t miss a moment like this one.

]]>http://nerdist.com/enjoy-rob-zombies-celebrated-tom-baker-impression/feed/6Over at BBCAmerica.com, #2 on the Top 5 Nerdist Podcasts List Is…http://nerdist.com/over-at-bbcamerica-com-2-on-the-top-5-nerdist-podcasts-list-is/
Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:23:04 +0000http://www.nerdist.com/?p=36056It’s down to the last precious two of the Top 5 Nerdist Podcasts of 2011 at BBC America’s Anglophenia blog, and Number Two is someone who’s since become part of the Nerdist family, but at the time was known to you mostly as…

Biff.

Yes, Thomas F. Wilson’s appearance on the Nerdist Podcast came in at number two for the year, and that isn’t surprising in light of the great response the episode drew right out of the box. He’s famous for Back to the Future, of course, but we learned about his comedy, his art, and his music, and it was a great set-up for Big Pop Fun, his Nerdist Network podcast, to which you should be subscribed.

You can read more about the episode at BBCAmerica.com. And you can commence speculating about which episode came in at Number One. You’ll find out for sure tomorrow.